I let my hen get hurt

[3chickchicks]

I'm feeling so low. I let the dogs out and forgot about them. When I remembered them, I was too late and found one of my dogs had pinned down a hen and was tearing her feathers out. She was so still that I thought she was dead. But she moved slightly and I immediately began assessing her wounds. She has exposed muscle and I hope some swelling on her abdomen is superficial. I irrigated her wounds, cleaned them, and dressed them. She's in the little chicken hospital inside. I've done all I can for her. She gave me a little bit of her acknowledgement coo when I talked to her.

I feel awful. It was my fault. I can't believe I let that happen. She's such a sweet girl and doesn't deserve this.

 

[lightchick]

Oh poor baby! Accidents happen. It's not your fault. Wish you the best with her!

 

[cafarmgirl]

Try not to beat yourself up to much, though I know it's easier said then done. We all make mistakes, I made a mistake that resulted in the death of a favorite pet hen. Hindsight is always 20/20, it's hard. Now all you can do is what you are doing. It's amazing what chickens can survive and recover from. I hope she does well.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Aw, we all live and learn. Keep checking her wound for infection and you can put lots of neosporin right in and on her wound. Hopefully that will keep any infection from developing. But if you do notice any different smell and pus, Penicillin or Pen G injectable from a farm store is the best treatment for wound infection.

If she gave you a little coo, then it sounds like she is not in serious shock, so that is good. She may not start eating right away, but keep her well hydrated. Once she is eating you can try to make it up to her by giving her some scrambled eggs. Chickens can over come some pretty horrible wounds, so hope for the best.

 

[b.hromada]

Oh poor baby! Accidents happen. It's not your fault. Wish you the best with her!

From what you've described, she sounds as though she will pull through. Here's a hug to help.

 

[Monaschicks]

Oh my goodness!! I am so sorry this happened. I have had horrible accidents happen too. I blamed myself and still do...try not to even though it's so hard. We are only human. I know this can't change anything but hope it helps. This past winter I had a few hens that were getting picked on terribly...feeling sorry for them and my lonely rooster I put the hens in with him. He is alone because he is very aggressive with me and I can't go into the cage fully...I grab his dishes, fill them and quickly put them back. He's gorgeous so I kept him. He seemed to calm down when around them and was courting them. I had high hopes. The next morning I found one of my hens ripped wide open from her spine to her knee joint and another crippled and barely able to walk. I quickly grabbed them out and poured peroxide in the gash, pushed out the foaming and squeezed out a handful of Silver antimicrobial ointment into the gash. By evening the gash was closed completely. She made a complete recovery. The other hen is still crippled and walks upright like a duck at attention. She almost didn't make it. I nursed her for months feeding her by hand and holding water to her beak because she was so weak and dizzy I was afraid she would drown. She could only hold herself up by resting her beak on the dog kennel cage I had her in. I Cried for days I felt so guilty. How could I do that to them.

They are very resilient. Since then I swear by Peroxide and Silver Antimicrobial for open wounds. It worked faster than anything I've ever used. I hope all works out for you and your hen. These are unfortunate lessons but they do happen. I will be anxious for updates on how you and she are doing. Keep us posted and hold your head up. She knows you are helping her. My crippled hen "Princess" coos and waddles towards me every time she sees me. She rests her chest on my leg and lets me massage her hips and legs every day. We bonded through this tragedy. I hope you get to too.

 

[3chickchicks]

She's laying on her side and breathing hard. She won't eat or drink, even if I cram stuff down her throat. She won't stand up. Her comb is red but I think she's just able to compensate for now. I'm not sure she will be alive by morning.
Poor baby . She's such a sweet girl and didn't deserve to go out like this. She was supposed to grow old while pecking around my back yard.
She always gives a soft goodnight coo when I put them up for the night. The coop is so quiet now.

 

[3chickchicks]

She is gone.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I'm so sorry your sweet hen did not make it. I guess there was some internal damage. I know how hard it is to lose a chicken and can also relate to the feelings of guilt. Many of us who have had chickens for a while have struggled with those feelings.

 

[ophelia3178]

So sorry for your loss
You can't blame yourself for it, accidents do happen.